Alaska Coastal Revegetation & Erosion Control Guide - Alaska Plant

242 Pages·2013·18.2 MB·English

Alaska Coastal Revegetation
& Erosion Control Guide

Alaska Coastal Revegetation
& Erosion Control Guide
By
Stoney J. Wright
and
Philip K. Czapla
Editing, Layout, and Design:
Brennan Veith Low
1st printing: December, 2010
2nd printing: August, 2011
3rd printing: May, 2013
This publication was awarded the 2011 Educational Achievement Award
from the International Erosion Control Association. This award recognizes
an outstanding training program, public program or tool used within the in-
dustry which demonstrates advancement in erosion and sediment control
education based on experience and factual knowledge.
The Alaska Coastal Revegetation & Erosion Control Guide was recognized with a 2012
Certificate of Excellence from the American Society of Agronomy’s Extension Community
Educational Materials Awards Program. The purpose of this program is to provide Society
members a chance to share their creative and useful educational materials and programs
with colleagues and to receive recognition for their superior achievement.
Front Cover: A natural stand of Beach Wildrye in southeastern Prince William Sound
Photo: Brennan Veith Low (AK PMC)
Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive pur-
poses only and does not imply endorsement by any employee or
branch of the State of Alaska. Information submitted by private
companies in the case studies section of this document is publicly
available, and presented for educational purposes. All photographs
are copyright of their respective owners.
Published by:
State of Alaska
Department of Natural Resources
Division of Agriculture
Plant Materials Center
5310 South Bodenburg Spur
Palmer, AK 99645
This publication was funded
in part by a grant from the
United States Department of
Agriculture, Natural Resource
Conservation Service.
Plant Materials Center logo: ‘Germinate’ - Original artwork by Sheila Wyne, used with permission
Foreword
i
Author ’s Preface
Aerial photo: ShoreZone (NOAA)
A narrow strip of sand, called a tombolo, connects two islands in this photograph from western Prince William Sound
I
have always been fascinated with coastal areas. They are a magical area
where the sea (or in some cases large freshwater lakes) meets land. That inter-
est matured fully in 1995, during a seed collection project in an area near the Port
Clarence LORAN Station in northwest Alaska. Traveling south from the station on
a 4-wheeler, the peninsula narrowed to the point that both the left and right tires
were in sea water. This was my first encounter with a tombolo, a depositional land
form that is created when waves refract around an island to create a spit, tieing
the island to the shore. Ahead of the tombolo, I could just make out additional
above-water portions of the peninsula.
The lure of collecting additional seed to the south kept me inching ahead, even as

the water was getting deeper and the sides of the tombolo were getting narrower.
Looking around in a complete circle, I saw only water, and the 4-wheeler looked
very small. I felt even smaller as I looked at a land vehicle in a watery world. As
I put the machine in reverse and started to back out of the area, I saw the sand
of the tombolo begin to slide laterally, and the front of the 4-wheeler begin to sink
deeper. Fear took over. I’d never before realized just how fast a 4-wheeler could
go in reverse, or how high those tires could throw water into the air! A charging
bear could not have caused the adrenaline to flow through my body any faster.
What a truly fascinating place - that area where land meets water.
ii
T
his guide is intended for use in coastal areas of Alaska, specifically the
areas designated by the Alaska Inland Coastal Zone Boundaries. Coastal areas
have been my primary focus with regard to revegetation and erosion control
activities during the past 32 years. Consolidating and publishing the research
and information gathered during that period motivated the development of this
document.
The guide is divided into sections detailing steps that should be followed for a
successful revegetation project. The guide is dedicated to the Great Land and its
immense and fragile coastal region. It is my intent to raise awareness across the
state of the need to protect and restore coastal environments as necessary in the
land we call Alaska.
Researchers and environmental professionals from across Alaska were invited
to share case studies for this publication, to showcase some outstanding
revegetation and erosion control projects, as well as alternative approaches and
ideas in restoration. These case studies demonstrate what can be accomplished
or learned by recreating vegetation communities, landforms or controlling erosion
using vegetation. The guide also provides an overview of work performed in
Alaska’s coastal regions by the Alaska Plant Materials Center (PMC) during the
past three decades.
In the first section of this guide, the reader will find useful background informa-
tion. A short history of the major impacts to the coast of Alaska is presented, along
with an introduction to the principles of revegetation. A primer on coastline types
and terminology, as defined by coastal geomorphologists is also included.
The Project Implementation section will guide the reader through the basics of
the entire process of a revegetation project, from the initial project planning phase
to obtaining necessary permits, seeding, and mulching. This section includes an
introduction to soil science and planting methods, as well as other forms of plant-
ing stock used in Alaska. Information about seed quality and specifications is also
presented. The Project Implementation section details various techniques used
to prepare the planting surface, as well as other specialized planting methods.
As many sites require additional protection to preserve important land features or
critical habitats, conservation and protection methods are also covered.
Section 3, Species Selection, consists of a survey of available plant species
appropriate for revegetation across Alaska. A description of vegetation communi-
ties in each region is included, along with lists of primary and secondary species
adapted to that region. A table for each region will guide the reader in determin-
ing what species mixture will work best in the area. Each individual species is
color-coded to the regions of Alaska to which is adapted, and this information is
presented along with details of its growth habit and tolerances in the Plant Spe-
cies chapter.
The Case Studies section consists of reports from past revegetation and resto-
ration projects, provided by researchers and environmental professionals across
the state. These projects, conducted in each region of Alaska, will expose read-
ers to the realities of revegetation in the field; successes, challenges, and lessons
learned. It is our hope that the case study section will become a useful resource
for future projects. These reports are available on the web, at plants.alaska.gov.

iii
The final section of the manual lists the work cited, as well as a list of agencies
and organizations that have an interest or statutory responsibility related to the
coastal zone is also provided. We chose to include a reprint of the 1994 Beach
Wildrye Planting Guide for Alaska as an appendix. This publication, though out
of print, has continued to generate interest, warranting its inclusion. Also included
as appendices are the amended State of Alaska seed regulations, and descrip-
tions of other other publications of interest.
I hope you find this guide worthwhile and informative.
Stoney J. Wright
iv
Acknowledgements
T
his guide was written to assist land owners, land managers, engineers
and environmental professionals in making decisions regarding revegeta-
tion and the use of vegetation in soil erosion control and soil conserva-
tion. The information contained in the guide builds upon past revegetation
manuals including:
Wright, Stoney J. (1994) - Beach Wildrye Planting Guide for Alaska.
State of Alaska. Alaska Department of Natural Resources, Plant
Materials Center. 28 pp.
Wright, Stoney J. and Moore, Nancy J. (1994) - Revegetation
Manual for Eareckson Air Force Station Shemya, Alaska. State of
Alaska, Division of Agriculture, Plant Materials Center. 34 pp.
Moore, Nancy J. and Wright, Stoney J. (1994) - Revegetation Man-
ual for King Salmon Air Force Base, King Salmon, Alaska. State of
Alaska, Division of Agriculture, Plant Materials Center. 51 pp.
2001 Alaska Highway Drainage Manual (2001) - Chapter 16: Erosion
and Sediment Control. State of Alaska, Department of Transportation
and Public Facilities.
Wright, Stoney J. (2008) - A Revegetation Manual for Alaska. Edited
by Peggy Hunt. State of Alaska, Department of Natural Resources,
Division of Agriculture, Plant Materials Center.
The authors would like to thank the individuals named below for their par-
ticipation in this project.
Harvey Smith, Ruth Carter, James Bowers and Janet Hall-Shempf at
the Alaska Department of Transportation, Carrie Bohan and Marty Ruth-
erford with the Alaska Department of Natural Resources, and John Whit-
ney at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
v
Table of Contents
Alaska Coastal Revegetation & Erosion Control Guide
Beach Wildrye, Leymus mollis and Lyngbyei sedge, Carax lyngbyei dominate
this road berm and coastal wetland at Boat Launch Road, Kenai
Section 1: Background
1. Introduction ........................... 2
• Geography .......................................
• History .......................................
• Impacts .......................................
• Purpose .......................................
• Method .......................................
2. Coastlines ........................... 8
• Coastal Glossary .......................................
• Coastline Types .......................................
vi